Courage and the Writing on the Stones
by owlwatcher-974
Summary: A mysterious electrical storm is causing fires and wreaking havoc all over Nowhere. Angry ghosts are haunting Courage's house. Courage decides call upon some ghostly friends for help. Can they figure out what is going on before it's too late?
1. A Change in the Weather

The warm wind ruffled Courage's pink fur he dozed peacefully on the front porch of his home in the middle of Nowhere. It had been a busy morning with Eustace cleaning the barn and Muriel cleaning the house. Courage had helped Muriel with the house as much as he could before going out to see if he could help Eustace with the barn. A lot of junk had piled up in the barn over the last few months and, of course, Eustace gave Courage the job of dragging the heaviest of the junk out to the garbage. Poor Courage was exhausted after all that work and the afternoon nap was just what he needed.  
  
Inside the house, Eustace was complaining about his paper being late while Muriel was busy making lunch. "Why can't I get me paper on time for once?!" Eustace grumbled to a paitently listening Muriel. "I pay good money for that paper and they still don't get it here on time!"  
  
Muriel turned around with a large plate of sandwiches in her hands. "Maybe ye should call them and complain."  
  
Eustace watched as Muriel set the plate of sandwiches in the middle of the table. "I'll call them after lunch." he said as he reached out and took one of the sandwiches.  
  
Muriel turned to go call Courage for lunch. "Courage!" She opened the front door to see the peacefully sleeping dog on the porch. Reaching down she gently shook him to wake him up. "Courage, it's time for lunch."  
  
Muriel's gentle voice woke Courage up instantly and he followed her back into the house.  
  
"What's that dog doing at the table?!" Eustace growled and put Courage's plate on the floor. "Dog's are supposed to eat on the floor!"  
  
Muriel just sighed and put two of the sandwiches on Courage's plate. "Sorry Courage. At least the sandwiches are one of your favorites."  
  
The delicious smell of roast beef made up for having to eat on the floor. Courage smiled up at Muriel and quickly finished off both sandwiches. He was about to ask for another sandwich when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
  
"Maybe it's me paper!" Eustace quickly got up and went to answer the door.  
  
Courage heard a nervous voice answering Eustace's angry questions. "I'm sorry the paper is so late", the voice said, "There was a problem and - - "  
  
He was cut off by Eustace's angry voice. "Blah, blah, blah. You guys always have an excuse don't ya?! Maybe if you would quit wasting time making up excuses you could get me paper here on time so I could read it before the next paper gets here!"  
  
A couple of minutes later Eustace returned to the kitchen table. "I can't believe they can't get the paper here on time!"  
  
Outside, a very nervous looking young man walked back to his car. His hands were shaking as he fumbled to get his keys out of his pocket and he kept looking around him as if he was worried that something was after him.  
  
Courage finished his lunch and wandered back out onto the porch just in time to see the young man drop his keys as he fumbled with them to open the car door. The man looked around once again before picking the keys up off of the ground and finally unlocking the car door. After a moment, the car sped away in a cloud of dust.  
  
Courage watched the car speed into the distance and aloud to himself, "I wonder what was making that guy was so nervous?"  
  
Back inside the house, Eustace was finally getting a chance to read his paper. "Muriel, it says here that there was a fire a the museum last night!"  
  
Muriel came into the living room with a cup of tea in her hands and sat down in her chair. "Was the museum badly damaged?"  
  
Eustace's voice answered her from behind the paper. "The fire was confined to the back storage area of the Nowhere Museum." He read aloud, "Several new pieces of artwork and antiques that the museum had just recieved were either damaged or destroyed by the fire. The antiques were donated to the museum by the family of one of Nowhere's oldest citizens who recently passed away. Most of these pieces were very rare and impossible to replace."  
  
Muriel thought about it for a moment. "I wonder why that family donated all those valuable antiques instead of selling them?"  
  
Eustace shrugged from behind his paper. "Maybe they just wanted to get rid of them."  
  
Outside, Courage shivered as the warm day turned suddenly cold. He looked up and noticed a dark cloud forming a few miles in the distance. It looked like a summer storm was heading toward Nowhere. He got up and went into the house to sleep on the rug in the living room. 


	2. The Mysterious Storm

Courage had just gotten comfortable on the rug when the deep, rumble of distant thunder startled him. He got up and looked out the window to see that the beautiful summer afternoon was now becoming dark and cloudy. The sound of thunder rumbled again as the clouds quickly filled the sky.  
  
Courage watched in amazement as the summer sky was completely filled with clouds within a few seconds. He had never seen a storm move this fast! The sky lit up with a brilliant flash and the sound of thunder was so loud this time that it shook the entire house. Courage quickly turned away from the window and went back to his spot on the rug by Muriel's feet.  
  
"Oh my!" Exclaimed Muriel as the thunder startled her so badly that she nearly dropped her cup of tea.  
  
Eustace lowered his paper as another rumble of thunder rattled the house. "Where did that storm come from?"  
  
"I don't know Eustace!" Muriel was still visibly shaken from the loud thunder. "It was such a lovely afternoon." She recovered from the shock of the loud thunder and quickly remembered that she had left the kitchen window open. "I better get that window closed before it starts to rain!"  
  
Courage followed her into the kitchen. The rain hadn't started yet but the wind was blowing so hard that sand was flying through the open window. Muriel quickly closed the window and looked through the glass to see the huge clouds of dust forming as the fierce wind blew over the barren landscape. Day had been turned to night by thick dark clouds which where being lit up by flashes of lightning.  
  
"I've not seen anything like this in a long time." Muriel said as she continued to watch the storm through the kitchen window. Courage whined softly, disappointed that his beautiful summer day had been ruined by this storm.  
  
"Oh well." Muriel's voice was cheerful despite the circumstances. "At least it's perfect weather for a good cup of hot cocoa."  
  
"Uh-huh!" Courage perked up at the thought of a good cup of hot cocoa. He looked up at Muriel and smiled.  
  
Muriel quickly began to prepare three mugs of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and whipped cream. A few minutes later, she and Courage went back into the living room with the mugs. "I made some hot cocoa, Eustace." She placed one of the gently steaming mugs on the table beside Eustace before sitting down in her chair and moving her tea cup to the far side of her table to make room for her cocoa.  
  
Courage sat down on the rug and began sipping from his cup as Muriel turned on the TV. The screen flashed as Muriel switched through the channels. Finally she found a movie and set the remote control down. Courage licked the whipped cream from his face and continued to sip his cocoa as he sat watching the screen.  
  
Eustace reached out from behind his paper to take the mug. A few seconds later he returned the empty mug to the table as he continued to read.  
  
Courage sighed contentedly as he finished his cocoa and settled down for a nap amidst the sound of the TV and the occasional rumble of thunder. Courage was almost asleep when the newscaster's voice broke in on the movie that Muriel was watching. The urgency in the newscaster's voice caught Courage's attention. He turned his head toward the TV screen to see images of the town of Nowhere. People were standing in the streets staring up as lightning flashed in the skies above them. The wind was blowing hard enough to send various things flying and the people were having to be careful not to get hit by anything.  
  
"The freak storm has caused damage all across the town. The fire department has been battling two fires which were reportedly started by lightning. Stay tuned for more news of this devastating storm!" The special report ended and the movie returned to the screen.  
  
"Oh my! Eustace, did ye hear that?!" Muriel exclaimed as she rose from her chair.  
  
"Of course I heard it!" Eustace grumbled. "I'm sitting right here!" His attention quickly returned to his paper as Muriel picked up his empty cocoa mug on her way to the kitchen. Courage picked up his empty mug and followed Muriel.  
  
"I've never seen anything like this." Muriel said as she stared out the kitchen window at the wild wind and lightning. Courage walked over to stand beside her. Muriel looked down at the pink dog and patted him on the head before turning her attention to the dirty mugs in the sink. Courage tugged gently on her dress and offered her his mug to be washed. "Thank ye Courage." Muriel gently took the mug from him and washed it.  
  
Courage began to stare out the window while Muriel finished washing the mugs. The wind had blown the garbage all over the yard. The whole place was a mess. He whined softly as he thought about the cleanup job he would have when the storm was over.  
  
"It's really nasty out there isn't it, Courage?" Muriel had finished washing the dishes and was standing beside him staring out the window.  
  
Courage looked up at her and nodded. "Uh-huh!"  
  
Muriel looked back down at him and patted him on the head. "Let's go back to watch the rest of that movie."  
  
Courage turned away from the window and started to follow Muriel out of the kitchen when something in the window caught his eye. He walked back to the window as Muriel turned out the kitchen light. He stared out at the dark windy sky for a few more seconds when he saw it again - - a ghostly white shape floating in the sky just below the clouds! Courage gasped. His eyes grew to ten times their normal size for a second then returned to normal. He continued to stare out the window until the shape disappeared. Turning away from the window, Courage said aloud to himself, "Did I see what I just thought I saw?" A brilliant flash of light broke Courage's train of thought. A loud crack followed by a deep rumbling sound sent him running to the livingroom to hide behind Muriel's feet.  
  
"Take it easy Courage, it's only thunder!" Muriel reached down to comfort poor Courage.  
  
"Stupid dog!" Eustace's angry voice came from behind the newspaper. "Ain't nothin' that dog's not afraid of!" 


	3. Fire in an Old House

The storm continued through the afternoon. Several special news reports had interrupted the movie Muriel was watching to show more pictures of the damage being caused by the wind while lightning lit up the sky. Each report encouraged viewers to stay tuned for the evening news for a full report on the damage as well as the two fires that had been started by the storm.  
  
Eustace finally put down his newspaper. "Where's me dinner Muriel? I'm starved!"  
  
"I'll have it ready in a few minutes." Muriel somehow managed to stay cheerful even with the storm raging outside.  
  
Courage started to follow Muriel into the kitchen but Eustace stopped him. "Hey stupid dog! Make yerself useful and go see if there is any mail!"  
  
Courage sighed. He did not want to go outside in that awful weather but he found himself venturing out the front door anyway. The wind had died down a little bit but the sky was still being lit up by flashes of lightning as he made his way to the mailbox. There was a lot of mail in the mailbox and Courage had to hold on tightly to keep the remaining wind from blowing it away. As he walked back toward the house, Courage found himself staring up at the sky. The lightning was making wild patterns as it flashed against the dark clouds. Courage stopped and just stared at it for a moment admiring the beauty of the blue-white flashes of light.  
  
"Hey stupid dog!" Eustace's voice nearly startled Courage into dropping the mail. "What's taking you so long?"  
  
Courage looked toward the house to see Eustace standing in the doorway. He gulped and trotted over to the porch to hand Eustace the mail. Eustace impatiently grabbed the mail out of Courage's paws and slammed the door in his face. Being left outside didn't really bother Courage too much. He returned his attention the the wild light show up in the sky. He had been watching the lightning for several minutes when he a chill run down his spine. He suddenly felt as though he was being watched. Courage looked around him but didn't see anything so he stepped out further into the front yard. By now his fur was standing on end. Courage gulped as he sensed something over to his right. Slowly, he turned to look and found himself staring at a bright white light that was floating just a few inches above the ground. Courage froze in his tracks, staring at the light as it began to slowly take on a ghostly shape of something that sort of resembled a human.  
  
A loud groaning/screeching sound filled the air startling Courage back to his senses. He began to back away from the shape as it slowly moved toward him. Finally, Courage's nerves couldn't take any more and he bolted away from the eerie shape and flew through the door into the house closing the door tightly behind him.  
  
Eustace looked up from the mail that he had been reading. "Stupid dog! Why do ya have to come busting in the door like that?!"  
  
Courage quickly tried to explain but, as usual, Eustace couldn't understand a thing he was trying to say. It was useless. Courage was about to try again when Muriel called out from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"  
  
The wonderful meal quickly made Courage forget about what he had seen. He cleaned his plate and begged for another helping of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. "Don't forget to save room for dessert." Muriel said as she handed back his plate.  
  
Courage quickly finished his second plate of food and eagerly waited for dessert. Muriel always made something really delicious for dessert and the bananaberry pudding she served tonight was no exception. Courage finished his dessert and took his dish over to the sink to be washed.  
  
After dinner, they all settled down in the living room to watch the evening news. The storm had caused a lot of damage in town. Various buildings had lost parts of their roofs, stores had lost signs, windows had been broken, trees had been blown over, and the whole town was a mess. But the big story was the fires that had been started by lightning. One of the fires had been put out almost instantly while the other fire was still burning. "This two story house was one of the oldest homes in the town of Nowhere. The house was owned by Claudia Dillon who recently passed away at the age of 103. Her family had recently donated many of the valuable artwork and antiques from the house to the museum. Many of these items were damaged or destroyed by the fire that destroyed the museum's storage room last night." The news broke away for a commercial.  
  
"Now that's a strange coincidence." Muriel remarked. Courage looked up at her from his place on the warm livingroom rug.  
  
Eustace just grumbled something under his breath.  
  
The news came back on the TV. "The storm shows no signs of letting up. Despite the heavy clouds and thunder, there has been no rain. Tonight's forcast calls for more high winds and thunder. Now back to our coverage of the fire." An image of firefighters battling a fire in an old house filled the screen as the news continued, "The fire is finally out after burning for nearly two hours. There were reports of screams coming from the second floor of the house but this has not been confirmed." The reporter turned and quickly made his way over to a fireman who was standing next next to a firetruck. "What can you tell us about this fire?"  
  
The fireman removed his helmet before turning to answer the reporter. "The fire was confined to two of the rooms on the first floor and there is not that much damage to the house."  
  
"What about the reports we've been hearing about screams coming from the second floor?"  
  
The fireman shrugged. "We heard something that sounded like screams coming from the second floor. Several firefighters went up and checked but there was nobody up there."  
  
"Could there have been somebody hiding behind furniture or something?"  
  
The fireman shook his head. "The second floor of the house is completely empty. I spoke with the son of the lady who lived here and he told me that the family had just finished moving everything from the second floor out of the house. They were going to get the rest of the furniture out of the first floor sometime this week."  
  
The reporter turned back to the camera. "Well that's all the time we have. Stay tuned for more news later tonight."  
  
"Now that is really odd! How is it that there was not much damage to that house when the fire had been burning for nearly two hours?" Muriel switched the TV off.  
  
"Blah, blah, blah. Those TV news people always try to make somethin' out of nothin'." Eustace growled as he got up from his chair and headed upstairs.  
  
Muriel followed him upstairs to the bedroom while Courage went up to the attic to his computer. Courage flipped a switch on the side of the computer and stared out the window while he waited. The wind was still blowing just as bad as ever while the streaks of light continued to flash against an ominous looking blanket of clouds.  
  
A few seconds later, a voice came from the computer. "You know I don't like to be turned on during a lightning storm."  
  
Courage ignored the voice and began typing something.  
  
The comuter was silent for a few seconds then the voice answered him. "Apparently the house belonged to a lady by the name of Claudia Dillon. She and her husband bought the house when they first moved to Nowhere over 70 years ago. They had three sons and one daughter who were all raised in that house. Claudia's husband passed away about 20 years ago and she lived there alone until she passed away just over a month ago. Claudia was well liked by all her neighbors. She had many friends in the community. I can't find anything that would suggest anything odd about her or the house."  
  
Courage sat staring at the computer screen for a few minutes. This whole thing was really beginning to puzzle him. Finally, he began typing again.  
  
The computer answered him after a few moments. "Claudia's husband worked at the Nowhere Museum for 37 years. He was in charge of many of the ancient indian artifacts. He was also in charge of the Egyptian artifacts that were loaned to the Nowhere Museum back in 1967."  
  
Courage thought about this then typed in another question.  
  
"The Egyptian artifacts were from several different tombs that were discovered between 1950 and 1955. They were mainly small items such as simple jewelry, dishes, and some writings carved into stones. They weren't impressive enough for the larger museums to want for their exhibits so they were loaned to a lot of the smaller museums across the country. " The computer paused for a moment then continued. "You might find this interesting." A picture of a newspaper article appeared on the screen. The only thing Courage could make out was the headline.  
  
ARTIFACTS STOLEN FROM NOWHERE MUSEUM  
  
Courage typed in another question.  
  
The computer voice answered him. "According to the story, some of the Egyptian artifacts were stolen along with a few of the antiques from the 'History of Nowhere' exhibit. I cannot find any other information on exactly what was stolen."  
  
Courage was about to type in another question when a bright flash lit up the entire room. The rumble of thunder shook the entire house like an earthquake.  
  
"That was too close!" The computer actually seemed afraid.  
  
Another flash of lightning lit up the room.  
  
"I've had quite enough of this. Goodnight!" The computer shut itself off.  
  
Courage sighed. This whole thing was a puzzle to him. He gazed out the window, thinking about everything that had happened today. The things that the computer had told him didn't help him at all either. Courage wasn't sure how long he had been staring out the window when he saw the ghostly light appear out in the yard. 


	4. The Children Return

The ghostly white light looked like the one Courage had seen earlier. Courage watched the light for a few seconds until another brilliant flash of lightning lit up the entire landscape. Courage looked up at the sky then back to where the light had been. The light was gone without a trace. Courage decided he didn't really want to take the chance of seeing that light again so he left his attic room and went into Muriel and Eustace's bedroom.  
  
Both Muriel and Eustace were already asleep so Courage quietly climbed up onto the bed and curled up in his favorite spot at the foot of the bed. He had been asleep for about an hour when the loud rumble shook the house. Courage opened his eyes to see the room lit up with a bright light. At first, he thought it was just lightning but the light didn't disappear. He felt a chill run down his spine as he lifted his head and looked around the room. There it was standing by Eustace! The bright ghostly figure that Courage had seen outside! The ghostly light was getting closer to Eustace when Courage screamed. Instantly the light disappeared.  
  
"What's the matter with you stupid dog!!!?" Eustace yelled.  
  
"Courage! Is something wrong?!" Muriel sounded more concerned than angry.  
  
Courage went through an elaborate series of charades trying to tell them what had just happened. Of coure, neither Eustace or Muriel understood what he was trying to say.  
  
"If I hear one more peep out of you dog you're going to sleep outside for the rest of the night!" Eustace had made up his mind despite Muriel's protests that Courage should not have to sleep outside in weather like this. "The stupid dog can sleep in the barn!" Eustace snapped and rolled over to go back to sleep.  
  
Courage whined pitifully at Muriel who just said, "I'm sorry, Courage. There's nothin I can do. Ye shouldn't be making so much noise while we're trying to sleep,"  
  
Courage sighed and settled down by Muriel's feet. There was no way he was going to get any more sleep tonight. He couldn't even close his eyes after what he just saw floating next to the bed. Courage found himself nervously looking around the room every few seconds. What would he do if he saw one of those things again? What could he do?  
  
He sighed again. He wished there was somebody he could go to for help. Then he remembered! He jumped off of the bed and went back to his attic room. After searching his pockets for a few seconds, he pulled out a piece of metal with some words inscribed on it. Courage hesitated for a few seconds then slowly, carefully read the words out loud.  
  
Then he sat down and waited. A few moments later, he heard a familiar ghostly laugh. Then a white form appeared in front of him. Instead of being afraid, Courage smiled and his tail started wagging. The white form was joined by two more and they began to take shape of three children - two boys and a girl.  
  
"Hi Courage!" One of the boys said, "You called?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Courage nodded.  
  
"What's wrong?" the girl asked. The girl's question was answered by a brilliant flash of lightning and the loud rumbling of thunder.  
  
"Look at that storm!" The second boy had gone to look out the window.  
  
Courage excitedly tried to tell the children about the other ghostly lights but they couldn't understand him. Finally, he went to the computer and turned it on.  
  
"Not again." the voice from the computer sounded very grumpy.  
  
Courage quickly typed in a few words and, after a few minutes, the computer voice explained everything to the children.  
  
"We need to tell Mr. Worth. what's happening." the oldest of the boys said. The other boy and the girl both agreed.  
  
The three children held hands and began to chant something. Soon the room was filled with the ghostly shapes of several children and one very tall adult.  
  
The three children quickly told Mr. Worth and the other children what Courage had told them through the computer. Mr. Worth listened carefully to their story. "Have any of you seen these ghostly lights that Courage told you about?"  
  
All three of the children shook their heads.  
  
"Courage, can you tell me exacly where you saw these things?"  
  
Courage pointed out the window to the place where he had seen on of the lights. Then he pointed back toward Muriel and Eustace's bedroom.  
  
"You saw them in the house?" Mr. Worth seemed very concerned.  
  
Courage nodded and began an elaborate game of charades, turning himself into a bed and then mimicking one of the ghostly lights.  
  
Mr. Worth just stared at him with a slightly amused expression on his face. "How do you do that?"  
  
One of the children spoke up. "I think he is trying to say that he saw one of them nex to a bed."  
  
"Uh-huh!" Courage nodded.  
  
"Who's bed?" Mr. Worth asked.  
  
Courage quickly mimicked Muriel then Eustace.  
  
Mr. Worth could help but smile despite the seriousness of the situation. "It's going to take me a while to get used to that." Several of the children laughed. Mr. Worth grinned back at them then looked back at Courage.  
  
"So this thing appeared next to your owner's bed?"  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
Mr. Worth said something to one of the children who led several of the others into one of the other attic rooms. Courage could hear them chanting something but he couldn't understand the words.  
  
Mr. Worth explained. "It's the prayer of protection - the same one that is written on this pendant." He looked down at the pendant that was attached to the necklace that Courage had returned to them just a few weeks ago. "If there is anything evil about those things, the prayer that the children are chanting should keep them out of this house."  
  
Courage smiled and wagged his tail.  
  
"But we still need to find out exactly what is going on here." The rest of the children gathered around Mr. Worth has he continued. "I'm fairly certain that those things you saw are spirits but this is definately not a normal haunting." 


	5. Searching For Clues

Using the computer, Courage was able to show Mr. Worth all the news stories about the storm and the fires. He also showed Mr. Worth what he had found out about Claudia Dillon and her family.  
  
Mr. Worth watched the computer screen closely. He seemed very interested in the connection between the museum and Claudia Dillon's house. "Can you find anything more about the items that were stolen from the museum and if Claudia's husband was ever suspected of stealing anything from the museum?"  
  
Courage quickly typed a few words into the computer. The computer voice answered, "The Dillon's house was searched after the artifacts were stolen from the museum but nothing was found. It also says here that Mr. Dillon was never truly suspected of any wrongdoing. The search was part of normal proceedure."  
  
Mr. Worth got up from his place by the computer and stared out the window. "Courage, come here for a second."  
  
Courage quickly joined him at the window.  
  
"Is that what you've been telling me about?" Mr. Worth pointed to a bright ghostly light floating a few inches above the ground.  
  
Courage felt his fur stand on end. "Uh-huh!"  
  
Mr. Worth turned to the children. "Stay here and wait for me to return."  
  
The children nodded as Mr. Worth disappeared out the window. Courage watched as Mr. Worth's familiar shape approached the spookier white light. The light got brighter for a second then vanished before Mr. Worth could get close to it. A few seconds later Mr. Worth reappeared in the attic room.  
  
"It's a spirit and it's not the only one out there. There are at least two more of them close by." Courage and the children stared at Mr. Worth as he spoke. "I get a very bad feeling from them. Like they are either hurt or angry."  
  
"Are they evil?" one of the girls asked nervously.  
  
"No, Dianne, they are not evil. But they could be very dangerous. We have to find out what is bothering them. There has to be a reason they are haunting this place."  
  
"Do you think that there are more of them in town?" One of the boys had come back from the other room.  
  
"I'm certain of it, Micheal." Mr. Worth looked down for a moment. "I think that these spirits are what is causing this odd electrical storm. I also think that they are behind the fires at the museum and that house. They probably also caused the other fire."  
  
"How do we find out why they are here?" Another girl came in from the other room followed by the rest of the children.  
  
Courage turned to the computer and typed something in. A second later the computer voice relayed Courage's message, "Maybe there is something hidden in the house or in the museum."  
  
One of the boys agreed. "Maybe those fires were set to cover up something."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "Or maybe they were set to lead us to something. One thing is certain we have to be careful. We don't know who those spirits are or why they are here. I'll go see what I can find in the house. It will be better if I go tonight since there are going to be fire investigators there during the daylight."  
  
"But how are you going to get into the house?" one of the little girls asked.  
  
"Well, I'll have to be invited in." Mr. Worth stopped to think for a moment then continued. "Courage, you come with me."  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to the children. "The rest of you stay here and wait for us. If those other spirits come back into the house then say the prayer of protection. Otherwise, keep as quiet as possible. We don't want to bother Courage's owners."  
  
The children all promised to do as Mr. Worth had told them.  
  
"Okay Courage, take my hand and hold on tight. I cannot carry you but, if you hold on to me, I can take you with me." Mr. Worth offered Courage his hand.  
  
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand with both paws. As Mr. Worth began to slowly disappear, he called out to the children, "I should be back very soon but, if there is any trouble that you cannot handle, summon me."  
  
Courage felt himself become lighter than air. 


	6. Some Answers in the Old House

A few moments later, Courage and Mr Worth were in the front yard of the house that Courage had seen on the news. At first the house seemed empty but then Courage noticed a faint light moving around inside one of the rooms on the lower floor. He pointed the light out to Mr. Worth.  
  
"I wonder who is in the house at this hour?" Mr. Worth led the way to one of the windows that had been broken during the fire. "You will have to go into the house first, Courage. Once you are in the house, go to the front door and open it. You will have to invite me in before I can come into the house."  
  
Courage climbed through the broken window and looked around. He was surprised to find that the room he was in seemed to be the only room that had any real damage from the fire. The room next to the one he was in had a little bit of damage but the front room appeared to be completely untouched by the fire. He looked around to make sure that whoever it was in the house hadn't heard him. Then he opened the front door. Mr. Worth waited at the door until Courage motioned for him to enter.  
  
As Mr. Worth stepped into the house, Courage found himself wondering why none of the other ghosts he had encountered had ever waited to be invited before coming into his house. He wanted to ask Mr. Worth about this when he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly, he ducked behind Mr. Worth.  
  
A man with a flashlight appeared in the hallway then disappeared into one of the other rooms. Mr. Worth walked into the room behind him while Courage stayed out of sight in the hallway. The man was looking through some of the boxes that were stacked in a corner. After watching him for a moment, Mr. Worth made his presence known.  
  
"Who are you?" he calmly asked the man.  
  
The man was so startled that he dropped his flashlight. He quickly picked up the flashlight and turned around to face Mr. Worth. The sight of the ghost made the man drop the flashlight again as he fell backwards into the boxes.  
  
Courage giggled and Mr. Worth looked back at him. "Come in here Courage."  
  
The man sat where he had fallen into the boxes and just stared at the sight of the ghost and the pink dog. Mr. Worth turned and looked back at the man. Courage couldn't help but notice the amused smile on Mr. Worth's face.  
  
"Let's try this again. My name is David Worth - you may call me David. This is my friend, Courage. We came here to see if we could find anything out about what is going on here."  
  
"W-w-what d-do you mean b-b-y what i-is g-going on here?" The poor man stammered.  
  
Mr. Worth sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, there have been three fires in the last two days and there is a freak electrical storm wreaking havoc all over the place. Not to mention the fact that there are angry spirits haunting this whole area."  
  
The man studied Mr. Worth for a moment. "Then you're not one of those horrible things that have been following me."  
  
"Well, technically, I am a spirit too. Just not one of those spirits." Mr. Worth seemed a little annoyed at the man. "Now, I'll ask you one more time, who are you?" Mr. Worth's voice sounded more than a little impatient.  
  
The man took a deep breath and said, "I'm Alden Dillon. Claudia Dillon was my mother." He tried to untangle himself from the boxes but found himself in a difficult position.  
  
Mr. Worth offered Alden a hand up and the man hesitantly accepted the ghost's help. As Alden stood up and brushed himself off, he slowly began to speak. "I think I'm to blame for some of the weird things that are happening ... but .. I didn't mean... " he sighed. "Let's me start at the beginning." He led Mr. Worth and Courage into the front room of the house which had been untouched by the fire. He sat down on one of the chairs and motioned to the other chairs. "Make yourselves comfortable. It's kind of a long story."  
  
Mr. Worth sat down on one of the chairs and Courage sat down on the large rug at his feet.  
  
Alden gathered his thoughts and began to speak. "My father worked in the Nowhere Museum. He was in charge of many of the historical exhibits and he even set up the Egyptian exhibit that the Nowhere Museum had one summer. He knew a lot about history and mythology. One day, the museum acquired several boxes of old artifacts - - I can't remember exactly where my dad said they were from. These boxes had many different pieces of weapons, stone jewelry, clay dishes, and several stone tablets with writing on them. My dad was asked to find out more about the tablets and try to find somebody to translate them. He worked on those tablets day and night." Alden paused for a minute as a brilliant bolt of lightning lit up the room followed by a sharp crack of thunder.  
  
Courage shivered as the wind blew in through the broken window. Mr. Worth looked down at him knowing that it wasn't just the cold that was making the poor little dog shiver. "Come up here, Courage." He said, inviting Courage to jump up on his lap. Courage gratefully curled up in Mr. Worth's lap. He felt much safer up here.  
  
Alden waited for Courage to settle down then continued. "After studying about those tablets for several days, my dad became convinced that they could somehow be dangerous. He convinced his boss to let him keep the tablets locked up safely in this house." Alden looked down at his hands which were shaking.  
  
Mr. Worth's eyes widened as if he knew exactly what Alden was going to say next.  
  
Alden took a deep breath. "The tablets remained locked up in two seperate boxes in this house until my mom passed away. My brothers and I were going through some of the stuff that was stored up in the attic when we stumbled upon one of the tablets. I looked at the tablet and tried to read what was written on it."  
  
"You read the words aloud?" Mr. Worth's voice was suprising calm.  
  
Alden nodded. "But - - nothing happened when I read the tablet. It wasn't until the next day when we found the second tablet that strange things began to happen."  
  
"What happened when you found the second tablet?"  
  
Courage could see the fear in Alden's eyes as he looked over at Mr. Worth. "It was about 20 minutes after I read the words on the second tablet. I got this creepy feeling of being watched. The air in the house started getting cold. Later that day, we were taking a few boxes of stuff to the museum and I could swear I saw a strange white shape out of the corner of my eye. It was following me."  
  
Mr. Worth gently put his hand on Courage's back to calm the nervous dog. "Was that the night that the fire started in the museum?"  
  
Alden quietly nodded.  
  
"What happened after that?"  
  
Alden looked nervously around him. "This place is really beginning to give me the creeps. Is there somewhere else we can talk?"  
  
Mr. Worth thought about it for a minute. "Just tell me one thing, where are the tablets now?"  
  
Alden was shaking visibly. "I think one of them was in a box that went to the museum. The other one should still be in this house because I took it down to the first floor with me. I was going to try to find out what the words meant but I forgot about the tablet when I got that horrible feeling of being watched."  
  
Mr. Worth gently nudged Courage to get him to move then stood up. "We need to find those tablets, but we should wait until daylight when those spirits quiet down a little bit."  
  
Alden got up and began to look nervously around him. Courage felt a cold chill run down his spine making his fur stand on end.  
  
Mr. Worth reached down and picked Courage up in one arm.. "Come on Courage, we have to get out of here now. Hold on tight." Courage held on to Mr. Worth's arm tightly with both paws.  
  
"Please! Don't leave me here!!" Alden looked terrified. A second later Courage could see why he was so frightened. Two ghostly white shapes had appeared outside the window.  
  
Mr. Worth reached one hand out to Alden. "You must hold on to me if you want to go with me. Make sure to hold on tight because I cannot hold on to you."  
  
Alden grabbed tightly on to Mr. Worth's hand and followed them out the door. The ghostly shapes did not seem to want to get too close to Mr. Worth so they were able to walk out onto the porch and into the front yard.  
  
"Remember, Alden, hold on tight and do not let go until we get to where we are going."  
  
Mr. Worth slowly began to disappear taking Courage and Alden with him. 


	7. Return to Courage's House

A few moments later, Mr. Worth reappeared in Courage's attic room with Courage and Alden. Courage quickly motioned to Alden to be quiet.  
  
Alden nodded and whispered to Mr. Worth, "Where are we?"  
  
"We are at Courage's house. But we must be quiet because Courage's owner's are asleep."  
  
Mr. Worth closed his eyes for a second as if concentrating on something. A few seconds later, several ghostly children appeared in the room.  
  
Alden just stared wide-eyed at the children.  
  
Mr. Worth spoke quietly to keep from waking up Muriel and Eustace. "Children, this is Alden. Come and introduce yourselves."  
  
One by one, the thirteen children introduced themselves to Alden. After they had finished their introductions, Mr. Worth told the children what had happened. There were many questions asked by the children and Alden did his best to answer all of them.  
  
"So, we still have no idea what is on those tablets." one of the older boys said.  
  
"I think I have some idea what is written on those tablets." Mr. Worth walked over to the window with his back facing the group. "When I was alive, I studied a lot about history. I was especially interested in ancient cultures. I've read many things about people who believed that wandering spirits could be captured and turned into slaves. Some of these people used magic spells to hold these wandering spirits captive."  
  
Alden suddenly turned pale. "Do you think I accidently captured somebody's ghost when I read those things?"  
  
Mr. Worth shook his head. "No, these spirits appear to be far to old for you to have captured them. Besides, you would have had to know what you were doing to be able to capture a wandering spirit. I think you released several spirits that were held captive within those tablets. But now they are stuck here waiting for the one who imprisoned them to take command of them."  
  
Alden looked relieved. "So what do we do now, find a way to get them back in the tablets?"  
  
Mr. Worth turned and glared at him with glowing red eyes. "NO! It was a horrible thing that they were captured and enslaved in the first place. I will NOT have them returned to captivity!!"  
  
The the look in Mr. Worth's eyes and the anger in his voice sent Courage hiding under the cot. Several of the children crawled under the cot to comfort the shaking dog.  
  
Alden looked ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. But, what can we do to get them to stop haunting me and this whole town?"  
  
Mr. Worth's eyes returned to their normal color as he calmed down. "I don't know. I'll need to look at those tablets before I can even begin to try to answer that question. Even then, I can't guarantee that I can come up with the answer."  
  
Courage quickly crawled out from under the cot and jumped up and down as though he had an idea.  
  
Mr. Worth looked over at him. "What are you trying to say, Courage?"  
  
Courage danced from foot to foot trying to think of a way of getting his idea across. The computer was turned off and he wasn't sure that he could get it to come back on again with the electrical storm still going strong outside. Finally, he turned into a perfect image of Shirley then back into himself.  
  
"I know!" one of the girls said excitedly, "She's the one who was with Courage that night he gave us back the necklace!!"  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "I remember. She was the one who wrote the spell that Courage used to summon us for help."  
  
"She looks a little like the lady who made the necklace for us doesn't she?" one of the younger boys asked, "I remember when the lady brought the necklace into the tomb and put it around your neck."  
  
"You mean what was left of my neck." Mr. Worth smiled in amusement at the way Courage and Alden reacted to what they were hearing. "Yes, I believe the lady who made this necklace is related to the one who was with Courage when he brought it back to us."  
  
Alden glanced down at his watch. "It should be daylight in about four hours. Can I stay here for the rest of the night? I don't really want to try to go back to my car with those things following me."  
  
Mr. Worth looked down at Courage who nodded and pointed to the cot. Courage then went into a quick charade turning himself into a caution sign then mimicking Muriel and Eustace. Alden's watched open mouthed as Courage tried to convey his message.  
  
Mr. Worth grinned. "I think he's trying to tell us that it's okay for you to stay here as long as we are careful not to let his owners know that you are here."  
  
"Uh-huh uh-huh." Courage nodded.  
  
"I think we should all get some rest. The children and I are not used to staying awake day and night and our energy drains quickly when we spend too much time awake." Mr. Worth moved to the of the room and sat down.  
  
Alden looked surprised. "Ghosts sleep?" he asked as he sat down on the cot.  
  
"It's not really sleep so much as we just sort of become quiet to recharge our energy." Mr. Worth closed his eyes. "We are also completely invisible when we're resting."  
  
Several of the children sat down around Mr. Worth and moved close to him as if for protection. The remaining children moved into various positions around the room as if to keep watch. They began to chant something quietly and the whole room somehow began to feel safe.  
  
Courage whined softly and looked in the direction of Muriel and Eustace's room. Mr. Worth opened his eyes and said, "Don't worry. I doubt that those other spirits will come into the house with all of us here like this."  
  
Courage padded over to where Mr. Worth and the children were sitting and curled up at their feet. Slowly the ghosts in the center of the room disappeared leaving only the 5 children guarding the room. 


	8. Find the Stones!

The next morning, Courage woke up bright and early to find that Alden and Mr. Worth had already left. One of the girls explained that they had went to search the house before the fire investigators arrived and that Mr. Worth should be back soon.  
  
Courage looked out the window to see that the wind was still blowing and the sky was still filled with clouds. But there was no thunder and lightning.  
  
Muriel and Eustace were already awake so Courage decided to go downstairs and see if breakfast was ready yet. "I wonder if ghosts eat breakfast?" he said aloud to himself. He looked back to see if any of the children might want something to eat but they had all disappeared.  
  
"Good mornin' Courage." Muriel was standing in front of the stove cooking something that smelled deliciously like sausage. "Breakfast will be ready in a jiffy."  
  
Courage smiled and wagged his tail.  
  
"Stupid dog, get out of me way!" Eustace stormed into the room behind him. "I didn't sleep a wink with you making all that racket!"  
  
"Now Eustace, Courage only woke us up once."  
  
"Oh yeah?! Well who do you suppose was doing all that screaming?!" Eustace pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.  
  
"Now that couldn't have been Courage. Those noises didn't sound anything like him." Muriel made her way to the table with two large plates filled with pancakes and sausages.  
  
Courage snuck over to his place at the table. Eustace glared at him and was about to say something about him eating at the table when Muriel returned with syrup, a cup of coffee for Eustace, and a glass of milk for Courage.  
  
They had just finished eathing breakfast when there was a knock at the door. "Maybe it's me paper on time for once." Eustace got up and answered the door. A minute later Eustace called for Courage. "Hey, stupid dog! There's somebody here to see you!"  
  
Courage walked into the livingroom and was surprised to see Alden standing at the door.  
  
"Is this the stupid dog yer looking for?" Eustace asked Alden.  
  
"Yes, he's the one." Alden smiled at Courage who smiled back and wagged his tail.  
  
"What do ye want with Courage?" Muriel had walked into the room behind Courage.  
  
"I wondering if he could help me find something that I've lost." Alden smiled reassuringly at Muriel.  
  
"Well, if ye think Courage could be of any help then your welcome to borrow him for a while." Muriel patted Courage. "Go with the nice gentleman and see if ye can help him, okay Courage?"  
  
Courage nodded and wagged his tail before stepping out the front door with Alden and into the violent windstorm.  
  
"My car is over here." Alden lead Courage over to his car and opened the door so Courage could jump in. "David is still at the house. He's the only one that can move around in the house without being seen. So far we've found one of the tablets that was accidently given to the museum. It was in the garbage with the stuff that was damaged in the fire." Alden motioned to something wrapped up in a towel. "David wants us to take the tablet to that friend of yours to see if she can help us."  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
They began to drive with Courage directing Alden by pointing out the direction he should go. It was only 10:30 when they got there and Shirley was still inside.  
  
Courage quickly explained everything to Shirley who asked to see the stone tablet. Alden unwrapped the towel from around the tablet and handed the tablet to Shirley.  
  
"So, you read these words out loud?"  
  
Alden just nodded.  
  
"This isn't good."  
  
"Tell us something we don't know." Courage said impatiently.  
  
Alden looked down at Courage, unable to understand a single word the dog had just said but somehow getting the basic idea.  
  
"How is the teacher going to get the other tablet back to us?"  
  
Alden realized that Shirley was talking about Mr. Worth although nobody had told him that Mr. Worth was a teacher. Suddenly he remembered the stories his grandfather used to tell about a teacher and his class getting lost in the mountains. Now he knew who they were ...  
  
His thoughts were cut off by Shirley's impatient voice. "Well?!"  
  
Alden quicky recovered his thoughts. "He said he would come to us when he found the tablet and take one of us back with him to retrieve it."  
  
Shirley nodded. "I need to see the other tablet before I can come up with any answers for you."  
  
Courage and Alden waited in Shirley's shop while the wind howled outside. Courage shivered as the shop creaked and groaned with the heavier gusts of wind. Finally, there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Worth.  
  
Alden opened the door knowing that Mr. Worth would have to be invited in. "Hello David, why don't you come in out of the storm?"  
  
"Thank you, Alden." Mr. Worth answered politely. "I found the tablet. But there are too many people in that house right now."  
  
Shirley spoke up. "Why can't you just go in and get the tablet if that's your mother's house?" she asked Alden.  
  
"They told us yesterday that we couldn't take anything else out of the house until the fire investigation was over with. They said it might take several days."  
  
Shirley sighed. "This town might not be standing by the time they're through with that investigation. If only there was some way we could distract them."  
  
A mischievious smile lit up Mr. Worth's face. "You're forgetting one thing. Most people are afraid of ghosts."  
  
Shirley looked unimpressed. "It will take more than just you to scare them all off."  
  
Mr. Worth just kept smiling. "I have thirteen other ghosts with me and we don't really need to scare the people off. All we really need to do is distract them long enough for Alden and I to go in, get the tablet and sneak out."  
  
"That might work, but will the children be safe? You have no idea what those other spirits may be capable of."  
  
Mr. Worth looked Shirley right in the eyes. "If we don't get those tablets, nobody will be safe. It's a chance we will have to take. Besides, what could the other spirits do to us?"  
  
Shirley looked back at him. "They could easily drag those children into another dimension. Then they would never find their way home."  
  
Mr. Worth looked away. "It's a chance we'll have to take. Besides, I don't think the other spirits really want to harm anybody. They just want to be set free."  
  
Shirley looked down at the tablet on the counter in front of her. "Do what you have to do to get the tablet back to me."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded and motioned Courage to go outside with him. "I'm getting tired. I need you to summon the children. Use the spell that we gave you to call us."  
  
Courage gave Mr. Worth a worried look.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled reassuringly at Courage. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'll have some time to rest after we get that other tablet."  
  
Courage nodded and took a piece of metal out of his pocket. Slowly, carefully he began to read the words that were written on it. A few seconds later two of the children appeared in front of him. Mr. Worth spoke with the children who nodded in agreement then disappeared. A few seconds later seven of the children joined them in front of Shirley's shop. 


	9. The Second Stone

The children and Mr. Worth spoke for a few minutes before Mr. Worth motioned Alden to join them outside Shirley's shop. All joined hands and, with Courage and Alden holding tightly onto the ghosts, they all disappeared.  
  
By the time they appeared in the lot across the street from Claudia Dillon's house, the windstorm had calmed a little. It seemed as though somebody was actually trying to help them and Mr. Worth had a feeling he knew who that somebody was. He turned to look behind him and smiled softly at a faint light that was barely visible in the shadows of the old buildings that surrounded them.  
  
The plan was fairly simple. Three of the children would distract the people that were outside the house while the other four would try to scare the ones inside the house enough to chase them outside. Courage would also help by standing guard and letting Alden know if anybody came back into the house while he was in there.  
  
At first, everything went according to plan as the people inside the house scattered and ran outside. The people outside were not so easily scared by children though and soon they all decided to go back into the house. Alden and Courage hesitated at the back door when they heard the voices of the people returning to the house. Mr. Worth went into the house ahead of him but there was no way that Alden could get in without being seen. To make matters worse, some of the fire investigators were coming around to the back yard. They would be sure to see Alden and Courage. It seemed that all was lost when a familiar white shape appeared in the hallway. It was one of the other spirits! Courage turned white and fell to pieces on the spot while Alden just froze in his tracks!  
  
Mr Worth just watched the light. A moment later, a loud, unearthly, screaming/groaning sound filled the air. The wind began to blow so hard that it felt like it might blow the walls of the house down and lightning streaked across the sky! The unearthly screaming sound continued until the fire investigators all scrambled in fear.  
  
Mr. Worth laughed as the people scrambled away from the house and motioned Alden and Courage, who had just put himself back together, to follow him. Both hesitated for a second then followed the ghost to one of the downstairs rooms. There they found several boxes in the middle of the room. Mr. Worth led them to an open box that had a stone tablet inside of it along with several other items.  
  
Alden picked up the tablet. "This is the one."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "Okay, lets get out of here."  
  
The slipped out the back door and looked around for the children. Slowly, seven small ghosts joined them and they all disappeared with Courage and Alden holding on tightly to them. 


	10. A Third Stone Tablet?

The ghosts slowly began to materialize in front of Shirley's shop with Courage and Alden holding on to them. The cold, angry wind was making it difficult for the children to do much of anything so Mr. Worth decided that they should go back to Courage's house and wait.  
  
In the shop, Shirley looked over the second tablet. "The spells written on these tablets release the spirits held within. There should be a third spell that will place the spirits under the command of the one who released them."  
  
Alden just stared at her. "You mean there is a third tablet?!"  
  
Shirley nodded. "Without third spell, there's nothing we can do."  
  
Alden sighed. "Can't we just tell the spirits to go away?"  
  
"I'm afraid not." Mr. Worth was beginning to sound very tired. "Without the third spell, those spirits are stuck here in a sort of limbo. You have to take command of them before you can tell them that they are free."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shirley asked, "Who knows what they would be capable of if they were free. They might come back for revenge upon the one who imprisoned them."  
  
The anger clearly showed in Mr. Worth's voice although his eyes remained normal. "They were free before some idiot decided to make slaves out of them and, if that idiot were still alive, that person would deserve anything those spirits decided to do to them!"  
  
Shirley looked up at Mr. Worth but said nothing. Courage caught the look in Shirley's eyes and knew what she was thinking. If she had anything to do with this, those poor spirits would be trapped in those tablets until the end of time Courage looked up at Mr. Worth and noticed that he seemed to be fading a little. Courage tugged on his sleeve and whined softly.  
  
Mr. Worth just looked down at him and nodded.  
  
Alden heard Courage and looked over at Mr. Worth. "You're starting to fade, my friend. You need some rest."  
  
Mr. Worth looked back at Alden. "What will happen to those spirits if I go to sleep now?"  
  
"Well, we can't do anything until we figure out where that third tablet is. I'm sure you will have time to rest while we're looking for it."  
  
Mr. Worth turned and went outside with Courage following him. He looked down Courage. "Do you think I'm wrong to want to set those spirits free too?"  
  
Courage shook his head. "Uh-uh."  
  
Alden stepped outside the shop to join Mr. Worth and Courage. "David, I understand your concern. But I too am worried about what those spirits could do if they were freed."  
  
Mr. Worth just stared blankly at the ground. "Alden, you have no idea what it's like to be trapped with no chance of going home. For nearly 50 years, the children and I were trapped inside that tomb until that necklace was stolen and we were allowed to go look for it. It was a nightmare being stuck in one place with no way of getting out. Now that the tomb has been burried, we have total freedom to roam this area.. but we still cannot go home. The only way we could leave is if all the bones are somehow found and taken to the tomb - - which is now impossible. Most of our bones have been scattered or burried so far underground that they could never be completely recovered." Mr. Worth paused for a moment. "We will be here until the end of time, or until all of our bones have rotted away." Mr. Worth turned to face Alden. His dark blue eyes piercing through Alden's very thoughts. "I know what it's like to be trapped. I will NOT sentence thoses souls to be held captive - even if it means risking this whole damned town just to ensure their freedom!"  
  
Alden nodded understanding perfectly. "I promise that I will not do anything until you have had rested and have returned."  
  
Mr. Worth fixed his eyes on Aldens. "Can I trust you to keep this promise no matter what happens?"  
  
Alden nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on Mr. Worth's. "David, my friend, I will keep this promise. Now go rest, I can't have you fading out just when we find that last spell."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "What will you be doing while I'm resting.?"  
  
Alden shrugged. "I should probably take Courage back home since his owners - well at least one of his owners is probably worried about him. After that, I'm going to get some lunch and try to figure out where that last spell is hidden."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "Can you take me back to Courage's house with you? My strengh is fading fast."  
  
Alden led the two of them to the car and opened the door. "Please get in, David" Alden started to get into the car then hesitated and ran back to Shirley's shop. A moment later he returned with the two stone tablets. "I don't want to take a chance on leaving these things in her possession."  
  
Courage and Mr. Worth both understood exactly what Alden meant. 


	11. Mr Worth Gives Some Answers

It was fairly late in the afternoon when Alden's car drove up to the farmhouse. As Courage got out of the car followed by a very tired Mr. Worth, Alden asked for Courage's phone number and wrote it down as Mr. Worth translated Courage's charade's. After deciding on the best time for Alden to call, Courage and Mr. Worth disappeared into the house. Mr. Worth silently drifted upstairs toward the attic and Courage watched the worried children gather around him at the top of the stairs. He slowly turned away from the stairway, hoping that Mr. Worth would be okay.  
  
Courage was met at the kitchen door by Muriel. "Well, it's good to see you're back Courage. Eustace left about an hour ago. His paper still hasn't been delivered and he's going to their office to complain. I just hope he's okay in this storm. I still cannot believe that we haven't had any rain with all those clouds. Anyway, I saved some lunch. I thought ye might be hungry after such a long day."  
  
Courage eagerly followed Muriel into the kitchen and sat down at the table where there was a plate of sandwiches waiting. Muriel brought him a glass of milk. "So were you able to help the nice man today, Courage?'  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh."  
  
Muriel smiled warmly at him. "That's good. To tell the truth I'm glad ye got back when ye did. I was getting a little nervous being here alone. I know it's probably just the wind and all, but I keep hearing strange noises in the attic. After the sounds I heard last night, I could almost swear we had ghosts in this house."  
  
Courage nearly choked on his glass of milk. Luckily, Muriel was distracted by the telephone and left the kitchen so she didn't notice that Courage was desperately trying to hold back a nervous giggle.  
  
Muriel retured from the livingroom. "That was Eustace on the phone. Some trees fell down blocking the lot where his truck is parked. He's stuck there until the trees are removed. Well, at least he has his paper to read while he's waiting."  
  
Courage finished his lunch and the cupcake Muriel gave him for dessert. He took his dishes to the sink to be washed then went into the livingroom where Muriel was watching TV. "Finished with your lunch Courage? Why don't you sit in here with me for a while."  
  
Courage jumped up in Muriel's lap and settled down for a much needed nap.  
  
Loud thunder interrupted Courage's dreams. He yawned and stretched before jumping down from Muriel's lap. It had been at least two hours since Eustace had called and Eustace still hadn't returned. This didn't bother Courage though - he was enjoying the peace.  
  
He decided to go upstairs to see how Mr. Worth and the children were doing. He was met at the door to his attic room by several anxious children. "Mr. Worth is still resting," one of the boys said, "I've never seen him so tired."  
  
Courage nodded and gave the boy an encouraging hug. The rest of the children saw this and gathered around Courage for more hugs. Courage was enjoying all this attention! Then one of the boys tossed a ball to one of the other boys. Soon, everybody was playing in the tiny attic room. They were having such a wonderful time that they weren't paying attention to the figure that materialized by the doorway.  
  
"Good evening everybody." Mr. Worth's voice startled all of them so badly that they just froze in their tracks. Mr. Worth couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"How are you feeling?" one girl asked.  
  
"Much better," Mr. Worth replied, "But I still need to take it easy for a few more hours."  
  
Courage wagged his tail happily. He had been very worried about the ghost.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled back at him. "Courage, I think I know where we can find the last spell. Can I use your computer?"  
  
Courage nodded although he was puzzled by the thought of somebody who died before computers were invented knowing how to use one.  
  
Mr. Worth seemed to read Courage's mind. "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can't learn about these things. In fact, it actually gives me more time to learn about them. Do you realize that I've been able watch the computer age from its beginning? I probably know more about these machines than many of the people who have gone to school for years to learn about them."  
  
Mr. Worth sat down in the chair in front of the computer as Courage turned the machine on. A few seconds later, the computer voice began to speak. "Not you agai----." The computer cut off mid sentence as it realized who was sitting in front of it. "AHHHH it's a g-g-g-host!!!" The startled voice screamed.  
  
Courage busted out laughing at the frightened computer.  
  
Mr. Worth looked at him with an amused smile on his face. "It really can be fun at times. But maybe you should take over at the keyboard. I doubt that this machine will want to work for me."  
  
Courage sat down in the chair and Mr. Worth stood behind him. "I need to know the location of that third fire that was started by the storm yesterday."  
  
Courage immediatly knew what Mr. Worth was thinking. The other two fires had been at the locations where the other two stone tablets were found. He quickly typed in a few words and the computer answered him. "The th-third f-fire was s-s-somewhere in th-the f-f-ields b-by th-the outskirts of th- the old n-n-owhere cemetary," the nervous voice stammered, "J-j-ust n-n- orth of t-town." A map showed up on the screen. Courage quickly had the computer print out the map and was about to shut the computer off when he remembered a question he wanted to ask Mr. Worth.  
  
He typed in a few words and the computer voice spoke again. This time it sounded much more calm. "Why do you have to wait to be invited into a building when other ghosts just come right in?"  
  
Mr. Worth considered this question carefully before answering. "The children and I don't have the same power as some spirits do. Also, we do not abuse the powers we do have. I could probably come into a home without being invited but that would be basically forcing my way into the home. Forcing my way into a home would not only be an abuse of power, but it would also require a lot of energy. This would leave me almost completely drained."  
  
Courage nodded in understanding then typed in another question. "Are you ever afraid of the stronger spirits?" the computer voice asked.  
  
"Yes, we are. That's why this necklace was made for us. Stronger spirits kept trying to attack the children who were very weak when they first died." Mr. Worth paused for a moment then continued in a soft voice. "That's why I'm still here. The children cannot stand up to the evil spirits that would love to bully them around. They also cannot fight the idiots like the one who carved those spells into those stone tablets."  
  
Courage looked up at him with questioning eyes.  
  
Mr. Worth answered Courage's unspoken question. "Yes, I could have left this world not long after we died. But I had made a promise to these children when we were up on that mountain freezing to death. I promised that I would protect them and that I would not leave them. I gave up my only chance to leave this place so I could keep my promise to stay with the children until all of us are finally able to finally go home."  
  
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth with deep respect in his eyes.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled warmly at Courage and patted his head. "We both know a lot about wanting to protect those that we care about, Courage."  
  
The sound of the telephone ringing could be heard and Courage went down to see who it was. Muriel hung up the phone and turned around just as Courage was on the last two steps of the stairs. "That was Eustace. They're still trying to get the trees out of the way so he can get his truck out of the parking lot. He's going to get something to eat while he's waiting so I guess that leaves just the two of us for dinner."  
  
Courage smiled at Muriel and wagged. He hadn't realized how late it was and he was getting very hungry. Dinner would be so much more peaceful with Eustace not home to pick on him. 


	12. Muriel Meets the Children

Courage followed Muriel into the kitchen where she began to prepare dinner. Courage helped as much as he could by bringing Muriel the things she needed from the refrigerator and putting things back when Muriel was finished with them. Muriel was nearly finished with dinner when a noise from the livingroom distracted her. "Courage, could you go see what caused that noise?"  
  
Courage knew what was making the noise even before he got into the livingroom. Several of the children had ventured into the livingroom while the others watched from the stairs. Courage wagged his tail and gently motioned for them to be quiet. A few seconds later, Mr. Worth drifted down the stairs. "The children were getting restless being cooped up in the attic. I didn't think you or the nice lady would mind if we came down here for a little while."  
  
Courage smiled and was about to give his approval when Muriel stepped out of the kitchen.  
  
"Oh my!" Muriel's startled voice nearly made Courage jump out of his skin. "Why didn't ye tell me we had visitors?"  
  
Mr. Worth stepped forward and introduced himself. "Hello, ma'am. My name is David Worth. You may call me David if you like." He turned to the children. "Be polite to the nice lady and introduce yourselves."  
  
One by one the children introduced themselves to the startled Muriel.  
  
After taking a few seconds to recover from the shock, Muriel introduced herself to the ghosts. "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Muriel. I was just fixing dinner .. but I don't suppose any of you are able to .." her voice trailed off uncertainly.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled at her. "Most of the children nibble on cookies or candy once in a while. Not all of them are able to eat though. I really have no need or desire for food but I do sometimes like to drink coffee. If you don't mind, we'll just wait in here while you and Courage enjoy your dinner."  
  
Muriel nodded and fumbled for something to say. "Well, make yourselves at home. Turn on the TV if you like. Just be careful when Eustace gets back. I don't know how he would react to .. well.. all of ye bein' here."  
  
Mr. Worth smiled again unable to hide the amusement he felt at Muriel's reaction to him and the children. "Thank you kindly, Muriel. Don't worry, we know how to hide ourselves when we have to."  
  
Muriel stepped back into the kitchen with Courage following her. "So, I take it they're friends of yours?"  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh."  
  
"It wasn't them that was making all that racket last night was it?"  
  
Courage shook his head, "Uh-uh."  
  
Courage and Muriel ate their dinner while the ghosts played and watched TV in the livingroom. When they were done eating, Muriel went back to the stove and began cooking something else while Courage went back into the livingroom with his friends. A few minutes later, Muriel appeard holding a tray with a plate of cookies and a pot of coffee on it.  
  
"I don't know how many of ye can actually enjoy these but please help yourselves." she said as she put the plate of cookies down on the table and smiled as Courage and several of the children began to swarm around the plate of cookies. Turning to Mr. Worth she said, "I made us a pot of coffee."  
  
Mr. Worth thanked Muriel and smiled as he poured coffee into the two cups that Muriel brought into the room. "I haven't had a good cup of coffee in a long time."  
  
Mr. Worth sat down on the couch and watched the children while he sipped his coffee. There were still plenty of cookies left and a few of the children stared uncertainly over at them. Mr. Worth encouraged them. "You can always try to eat one. I'm sure you've gotten strong enough now that you might be able to at least taste it." Each of the children took a cookie then slowly nibbled at it then smiled happily when they found that they were able to eat it.  
  
"See, what have I been telling you?" Mr. Worth smiled encouragingly, "You have all gotten much stronger over the years."  
  
The happy children devoured the rest of the cookies after making sure that Courage got his fair share of the delicious treats.  
  
"So you're that teacher and those are the children that I've heard about all me life." Muriel finally found the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind since she had first heard the stories. "Please forgive me if I'm being rude, but what happened up on that mountain?"  
  
Mr. Worth took a long sip of coffee. "You're not being rude. We went up into the mountains on a trail that I had taken many times before. We had been hiking for a day and a half, intending to go back early the next morning. The weather had been warm and we were all enjoying the trip. It was absolutely beautiful upon that mountain. It was getting near dark when the temperature suddenly dropped. The storm came up without any real waring and it began to snow. We weren't ready for it." He paused and looked down at his cup of coffee. "Nobody could have predicted a storm like that back then. Anyway, we were not able to build a campfire because of the wind and snow. We couldn't even put up a tent. All we could do was huddle together close to the side of the mountain and try to keep warm." He looked up at Muriel. "I doesn't bother me to tell the rest of the story, but do you want to hear the details?"  
  
Muriel silently nodded.  
  
"The children were frightened and I promised not to leave them. It wouldn't have done any good anyway because I never would have gotten off that mountain to get help. We huddled together as the temperature dropped below freezing. One by one, we went to sleep. One by one we found ourselves watching as the others went to sleep then joined us."  
  
Muriel looked shocked to hear him decribe how they all died. "W-were y-ye scared?"  
  
Mr. Worth looked up at her. "We were scared to die and we were scared after we died. It took a while to get used to the fact that we were no longer among the living. But we finally got used to it. We're not really scared anymore. Just a little tired from having to stay here so long."  
  
"Why can't ye leave? I mean, not that I want you to go.. that is I um.."  
  
Mr. Worth laughed. "I understand what you are trying to say. It's difficult to explain... "  
  
Mr. Worth was cut off by the ringing of the telephone.  
  
Muriel picked up the reciever and then turned toward Courage. "It's for you."  
  
Courage listened as Alden told him that he had figured out where the third stone tablet had been burried. But they couldn't go dig it up right away because the strange sightings had brought a few curious ghost hunters out to the old Nowhere Cemetary. They would have to wait until well after midnight to go search for the stone tablet. He told Courage that he would pick him and Mr. Worth up at about 1:00 in the morning so they would be able to search for the tablet in peace. Courage indicated that he understood and hung up the phone.  
  
He was struggling to come up with a way of telling Mr. Worth what Alden had said but Mr. Worth just smiled and said, "Don't worry, Courage. I heard everything."  
  
Muriel gave them both a puzzled look.  
  
Mr. Worth explained the whole thing to Muriel who responded with a shocked, "Oh my!!"  
  
She was about to say something else when Eustace opened up the front door.  
  
Instantly ghosts disappeared into thin air as Eustace walked in and looked around. "Looks like you've been having some kind of party or something in here!" Eustace growled as he saw the tray with the empty plate and the cookie crumbs all over the floor. Luckily, Mr Worth had taken his cup of coffee with him so Muriel was able to convince Eustace that she and Courage were the ones who made all the mess.  
  
"I turn me back and the two of you act like mice when the cats away! Did ya save any cookies for me?!"  
  
"Of course we did, Eustace." Muriel went into the kitchen and returned with another plate of cookies and a cup for Eustace's coffee.  
  
Courage used this opportunity to sneak upstairs into his attic room.  
  
Mr. Worth and the most of the children were resting while the other children stood guard. He opened his eyes when Courage stepped into the room. "You should get some sleep before Alden gets here. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."  
  
Courage curled up on the floor at his feet and closed his eyes. 


	13. A Trip to the Old Cemetary

Courage was awakened by one of the children. "Alden will be here any minute." the boy whispered.  
  
Courage got up and stretched. He looked over at the window to see Mr. Worth standing there. The wind had picked up considerably and lightening was streaking across the sky.  
  
Mr. Worth turned around. "Do you have the map that you printed out earlier?"  
  
Courage nodded, "Uh-huh." He pulled the map out of his pocket and handed it to Mr. Worth.  
  
"I think Alden will be surprised to see that we have also figured out where that last spell is hidden." Mr. Worth took the map and put it in one of his pockets.  
  
Courage looked surprised by this and Mr. Worth grinned at him. "I have pockets too, you know. Besides, what do you think is stranger, me putting something in my shirt pocket or you having a pocket hidden in your fur?"  
  
Courage let out an embarassed, "He he he."  
  
"He's here!" One of the children materialized in the room startling Courage out of his skin.  
  
Mr. Worth and the children couldn't help but laugh as Courage climbed back into his skin. Courage looked back at them with a big toothy grin.  
  
"Come on Courage." Mr. Worth held out his hand and Courage grabbed on tightly as they slowly faded out to reappear next to Alden's car.  
  
"I doubt that I'll ever get used to that." Alden said as he opened the car door for them.  
  
A few minutes later they drove up to a spot a little ways away from the old Nowhere Cemetary. There was nothing to really show that this was - - or rather used to be - - a cemetary. Most of the place was surrounded by buildings that had been built when the earthquake destroyed the cemetary. Just north of the buildings was open field and the broken remains of an old iron fence. Two large trees marked the spot where the main gate used to be. Just past these trees was the old dirt road that used to lead into the cemetary. Courage found himself shivering though he wasn't sure if it was the cold air or the fact that he was standing in the middle of what used to be a cemetary that was making him shiver.  
  
Mr. Worth knelt down and whispered into Courage's ear. "There's where the children and I are burried", he said pointing to a spot just a few feet from where Courage was standing, "The tomb is now several feet underground and in two seperate pieces but our bones are still there."  
  
Courage suddenly felt sad but Mr. Worth gave him a reassuring pat on the back before rising to his feet and going over to talk to Alden who was studying the map. The three followed the map until the came up to a place where the ground had been burned. The fire had only burned a small area which seemed odd considering the how the wind had been blowing that day.  
  
"Looks like somebody wanted to make this easy on us." Alden said as he studied the ground as if looking for something.  
  
"Well, there's no marker or anything that I can see on the ground." Mr. Worth commented.  
  
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Is there anyway you could go underground and search?"  
  
"You're forgetting that this is a cemetary. I would be invading other people's graves."  
  
Alden was puzzled. "But we're outside where the cemetary used to be."  
  
Mr. Worth shook his head. "Not after the earthquake. Several of the graves actually moved sideways under the ground. Not only that but there were a few people burried outside the cemetary fence."  
  
Alden looked shocked. "But how could that be....?"  
  
Mr. Worth looked him in the eye. "Trust me, you don't want to know."  
  
Alden opened his mouth to say something else then decided against it. He looked down at Courage and suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey Courage, I know this is a long shot, but is there anyway you could sniff that stone table out for us?"  
  
Courage shrugged and said, "I'll try."  
  
"Hey, I actually understood that!" Mr Worth grinned as Courage began to sniff the ground.  
  
But Courage's nose wasn't good at picking up stone tablets burried under the ground. If it were then he would have found several pieces of headstones in the first few minutes.  
  
Courage sighed, feeling totally defeated.  
  
It was Mr. Worth who came up with the next idea. "Do you have those other two tablets with you?"  
  
Alden nodded and pulled the two tablets out of the backpack that he had been carrying.  
  
"Good, take one out and let me look at it."  
  
Alden offered the tablet to Mr. Worth who refused to take it. "Remember, I cannot hold it. You'll have to hold it for me."  
  
Alden held the tablet for Mr. Worth to look at. After studying the writing for a few seconds, Mr. Worth instructed Alden to read one of the lines. "This will bring at least one of those spirits here."  
  
Alden looked at Mr. Worth. "I'm surprised that they're not swarming around already."  
  
Mr. Worth shrugged. "Ghost hunters probably scared them off."  
  
Alden read the line that Mr. Worth had instructed him to read and, seconds later, several angry ghostly lights appeard in front of them.  
  
Mr. Worth silently approached the ghostly shapes. Only one of the spirits stayed still while the others scattered. After a few seconds, the ghostly light moved over to a spot near the center of the burned ground and hovered there.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to Courage and pointed to the spot that the spirit was hovering over. "You're the one who's the best at digging."  
  
Courage's fur turned pale white and he hesitated.  
  
Mr. Worth reassured him. "It's okay. He wants us to find this just as badly as we want to find it."  
  
Courage meekly made his way to where the spirit was floating. The spirit floated up higher in the air to give Courage some room and Courage began to dig. He had been digging for about five minutes when his paws hit something hard. Carefully, he began to remove the dirt from around the object until he uncovered a stone tablet.  
  
As Courage backed away from the hole, Alden reached in and pulled out the final spell. 


	14. The Spirits Are Set Free

It was nearly 4:00 in the morning when Alden's car drove up in front of Shirley's shop. Surprisingly, she was at the door waiting for them.  
  
"Okay, we found the third spell." Alden said, showing her the stone tablet that they had dug up from outside the old cemetary. "What do we do now?"  
  
While Shirley was looking over the tablet, Courage noticed that Mr. Worth had walked away and was quietly whispering something. A few seconds later the children appeared and listened as Mr. Worth whispered something to them. Then the Children moved away to hide in the shadows.  
  
Courage looked back at Shirley who was now telling Alden what he needed to do next. "Read the words from the first two tablets. That will bring the spirits here in front of you. Then read the words from the third tablet to take command of them."  
  
Alden did as Shirley instructed, reading the first two spells. Seconds later, more than thirty angry white lights began to swarm around them.  
  
"Now read the third tablet."  
  
Alden slowly read the words and watched in amazement as the ghosts lined up in front of them.  
  
"Now, you must read both of the first two spells backwards to make them all go back into the tablets."  
  
"NO!!!" Mr. Worth's eyes glowed bright red as he moved quickly between Shirley and Alden. "I WILL NOT LET THEM BE ENSLAVED BY THOSE WICKED SPELLS EVER AGAIN!!" Mr. Worth's entire form had turned an angry red color and was glowing eerily. He turned to the shadows where the children were hiding. "NOW!" he commanded.  
  
In an instant, the children had formed a circle around Shirley and were all holding hands. Before Shirley could react, they began to chant as they moved around her in a sort of dance. Courage recognized this chant all too well. I was the same chant that he had heard when he first saw the children - the same chant that had both Muriel and Eustace completely hypnotized. The chant was having the same effect on Shirley.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to Alden. "Please, my friend, trust me."  
  
Alden nodded. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
Mr. Worth studied the stone tablets which Alden had now placed on the ground in front of him. He pointed to the first tablet. "Read this one backwards, then read the third spell backwards. Then tell the spirits that they are free to go."  
  
"Are you sure this will work, David? What if they destroy this place once they're set free?"  
  
Mr. Worth looked Alden in the eye. "It would be inhuman to imprison them in those stones again, Alden. They're not evil and they've done nothing wrong. Please, I beg you, set them free."  
  
Alden nodded and did as Mr. Worth asked. When he had read the second spell backwards, the wind stopped blowing and the spirits began to take human form. The ghosts gathered around Alden and Mr. Worth as if waiting for something. One of them gestured to the three tablets.  
  
Mr. Worth seemed to understand what they wanted. "Alden, break the tablets in two and give the pieces to them." he said gesturing to the spirits.  
  
Alden broke the first tablet and held it out to the ghosts. In less than a second, several angry shapes whisked the pieces out of his hands and threw them against anything that would break them. Soon, the tablet was nothing more than dust. Alden broke the other two tablets and watched as they were also violently destroyed.  
  
The spirites returned to stand in front of Alden and Mr. Worth.  
  
"Tell them, once again, that they are free."  
  
Alden looked at Mr. Worth and nodded before turning to the spirits. "You are all free to go now."  
  
Courage looked up at the sky and noticed that the clouds were beginning to clear up. There was one bright star shining against the black sky. He looked back to see several of the spirits crowding around Alden as if to say thankyou. Mr. Worth was smiling as Alden reached out and touched several of them. Courage could see that there were tears in Mr. Worth's eyes.  
  
"Look!" a voice from behind Courage said excitedly. One of the children was pointing to a bright figure that had appeared behind the others. Slowly the ghosts that Alden had released from the spell began to move toward the other figure until only four of them remained.  
  
"Looks like we're stuck here for a while." One of the spirits said to Alden. "Do you mind if we stay in that house that belongs to your family? We won't do any harm, we just need somewhere to call home."  
  
Alden smiled. "I don't mind at all. I've been thinking of buying that house from my family now that I've got friends here. It might be fun to live in a haunted house."  
  
All of the now human looking spirits smiled and disappeared.  
  
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Thank you David, for everything. I hope you and the children will be able to come visit me when I get moved into my mother's house."  
  
Mr. Worth smiled warmly back at Alden. "All you have to do is invite us."  
  
Courage tugged on Mr. Worth's sleeve and pointed to Shirley.  
  
"Don't worry, she'll be fine once we've left. Speaking of which, we should probably be going now. Come on, children, it's time we were leaving. It's nearly daylight and you'll all be getting sleepy soon."  
  
He turned back to Alden. "I do hope to see you again soon, my friend."  
  
The children gathered around Mr. Worth. "Can we sleep at Courage's house today? Please? Just one more day?"  
  
"You'll have to ask Courage about that."  
  
Courage's happily wagging tail gave them their answer.  
  
Alden smiled and waved good-bye to his friends until they disappeared. Somehow he had a feeling that they would all see each other again sooner than they thought. 


End file.
